All-Star outfielder thankful he wasn't traded to Oakland A's

Before he was traded to the Cardinals last month, All-Star outfielder Marcell Ozuna heard the Marlins were on the verge of trading him to the A’s.

He wasn’t exactly filled with excitement.

Ozuna apparently hated the idea of playing in Oakland so much he would have rather stayed in Miami, where Derek Jeter and the new owners are systematically dismantling the Marlins.

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“The first thing I heard (was) they were trying to trade me to the Oakland A’s,” Ozuna told the press in St. Louis this weekend. “I said, ‘Wow … God, please, leave me over here.’ Then I heard they traded me to the Cardinals, and I said, ‘OK, thanks.’ ”

The Cardinals felt just as fortunate to acquire the 27-year-old Ozuna, who is coming off a career-year when he hit .312/.376/.548 with 37 home runs and 124 RBIs in Miami. St. Louis shipped top pitching prospect Sandy Alcantara and three other minor leaguers to the Marlins.

It’s not known how close the A’s and Marlins were to consummating a trade involving Ozuna, but his arrival in St. Louis made Stephen Piscotty expendable. Piscotty turned out to be a nice consolation prize for the A’s.

And, better yet, in Piscotty the A’s found someone who can’t wait to wear their uniform. Just ask his mom.